I have to admit that I'm almost giddy every time I use Apple Pay with my Apple Watch in Walgreen's stores. The closest supermarket to our house, and one we enjoy shopping in, is a Tom Thumb (across the street from the Walgreen's), so I hope All-Purpose Guru is correct.
Nothing compares to the feeling of paying with the Apple Watch. It’s just too easy and convenient. (Literally too easy )
Excuse me for moment while I go lean on a few store managers at Ralph’s.
In the meantime Sprouts, Whole Foods and the one local Safeway up on the other side of town all take Apple Pay (and get all my business). Thank you gentlemen (and ladies)
Not even. Credit card chip readers suck big time. They are very very slow and annoying. Just skipping the chip reader alone is worthwhile. It used to be fast when it was swipe but now that chip has replaced them it’s hellish.
So true. I silently scream while people sit there sticking the chip card in, waiting for the "remove card" message ( and forget their card). Why retailers can't see that Apple Pay speeds up transactions and shortens lines at the check out is beyond me.
That's good news. Now the majority of the chain grocery stores here in California accept Apple Pay.
Can you advise a few, especially in the NorCal area? I only shop at Safeway because it's very convenient and I can walk there thereby closing my Activity Rings. There's also a Albertson's a little farther down the road, but parking is bad and it's a bit more walk than I'm up for, most days.
Yes, Apple Pay at Safeway is a big deal for me. My local store finally sped up there chip readers, but still the whole process is slow. Using Apple Pay will be soooo much faster and convenient.
CVS is within walking distance and parking isn't bad, but because they don't take Apple Pay, I use Walgreens. Walking is a non-starter, and parking isn't great, but I use them when I pass by instead of going to CVS.
I have to admit that I'm almost giddy every time I use Apple Pay with my Apple Watch in Walgreen's stores. The closest supermarket to our house, and one we enjoy shopping in, is a Tom Thumb (across the street from the Walgreen's), so I hope All-Purpose Guru is correct.
Nothing compares to the feeling of paying with the Apple Watch. It’s just too easy and convenient. (Literally too easy )
LOL, exactly. Even now, more than 3/4s of the people who see me use my Watch to pay are borderline amazed. Some know about NFC for phones, but not the Watch.
Until one can leave their wallet at home because Apple Pay is not just ubiquitous at retail, but also at ATM's, it almost doesn't matter. And most people who drive will carry their wallet anyway, because that's where their driver's license is. At some of the retailers where I use Apple Pay, it's badly implemented. When I use my debit card, which I do for groceries, drugs, etc., I still have to indicate whether it's debit or credit, confirm the amount, sign and indicate whether I want cash back. At the drug store, there are additional steps because it also asks for a telephone number if you don't hand them your frequent shopper card to scan. So it really doesn't take any less time than swiping a card, although it obviously has some security benefits.
Oh bullshit. It may not matter for you. A less compassionate person than myself would say it sucks to be you. But I don't play that.
I use Apple pay at three different stores, and have never had to sign, ever. Now that could change at Safeway because any vendor can implements different procedures and the dollar amounts will be higher.
But carrying a wallet doesn't minimize the convenience of Apple Pay at all. Everywhere I use AP, I'm done with my end of the payment process (getting the √ on my Watch) long before the counterperson sees 'Paid' or whatever on their screen and a receipt is generated. I'm waiting on them. Very fast.
At Safeway, I go through the card dance, and even though upgraded, the chip reader is still sloooow. Entering my pin, selecting Debit, blah blah blah... The checker is waiting on me. I want to see how they handle the Club Card.
Until one can leave their wallet at home because Apple Pay is not just ubiquitous at retail, but also at ATM's, it almost doesn't matter. And most people who drive will carry their wallet anyway, because that's where their driver's license is. At some of the retailers where I use Apple Pay, it's badly implemented. When I use my debit card, which I do for groceries, drugs, etc., I still have to indicate whether it's debit or credit, confirm the amount, sign and indicate whether I want cash back. At the drug store, there are additional steps because it also asks for a telephone number if you don't hand them your frequent shopper card to scan. So it really doesn't take any less time than swiping a card, although it obviously has some security benefits.
Trader Joe’s still stupidly requires a signature with Apple Pay purchases, destroying the anonymous security of the whole system.
Why don’t these companies understand Touch ID and Apple Pay are as good as or better than a signature?
I was in Safeway yesterday, about to get my stuff checked out, when I saw the store manager and asked him when they were getting Apple Pay. 'Oh we have it already.'
And sure enough, their chip readers were also NFC enabled. There was absolutely no indication that they handled NFC at all. That reader was under the display screen that showed your charity donation and cash back selections. I put my Watch on the screen and it Tapped instantly. I mean like right now, and my Watch displayed the check mark. It took a few more seconds before the checker saw it on his screen, but it was still much quicker than using my chipped card.
One small thing is that I still has to enter my PIN. Didn't have to sign, though. The whole process was still much faster than using my card. When Safeway first upgraded their POS readers for chipped cards, they were agonizingly slow. There must have been a firmware/software/connectivity update, because they became faster, yet still slow.
Apple Pay blows cards away. And the checker had heard about using a phone and hadn't seen one yet. He was really impressed with using the Watch, as was the guy in line behind me. I can literally leave my wallet home, go for a walk, stop at Safeway for a sandwich or breakfast burrito and a drink, and walk off the calories while closing Rings. Yes!
Comments
In the meantime Sprouts, Whole Foods and the one local Safeway up on the other side of town all take Apple Pay (and get all my business). Thank you gentlemen (and ladies)
Yes, Apple Pay at Safeway is a big deal for me. My local store finally sped up there chip readers, but still the whole process is slow. Using Apple Pay will be soooo much faster and convenient.
CVS is within walking distance and parking isn't bad, but because they don't take Apple Pay, I use Walgreens. Walking is a non-starter, and parking isn't great, but I use them when I pass by instead of going to CVS.
LOL, exactly. Even now, more than 3/4s of the people who see me use my Watch to pay are borderline amazed. Some know about NFC for phones, but not the Watch.
Oh bullshit. It may not matter for you. A less compassionate person than myself would say it sucks to be you. But I don't play that.
I use Apple pay at three different stores, and have never had to sign, ever. Now that could change at Safeway because any vendor can implements different procedures and the dollar amounts will be higher.
But carrying a wallet doesn't minimize the convenience of Apple Pay at all. Everywhere I use AP, I'm done with my end of the payment process (getting the √ on my Watch) long before the counterperson sees 'Paid' or whatever on their screen and a receipt is generated. I'm waiting on them. Very fast.
At Safeway, I go through the card dance, and even though upgraded, the chip reader is still sloooow. Entering my pin, selecting Debit, blah blah blah... The checker is waiting on me. I want to see how they handle the Club Card.
Why don’t these companies understand Touch ID and Apple Pay are as good as or better than a signature?
And sure enough, their chip readers were also NFC enabled. There was absolutely no indication that they handled NFC at all. That reader was under the display screen that showed your charity donation and cash back selections. I put my Watch on the screen and it Tapped instantly. I mean like right now, and my Watch displayed the check mark. It took a few more seconds before the checker saw it on his screen, but it was still much quicker than using my chipped card.
One small thing is that I still has to enter my PIN. Didn't have to sign, though. The whole process was still much faster than using my card. When Safeway first upgraded their POS readers for chipped cards, they were agonizingly slow. There must have been a firmware/software/connectivity update, because they became faster, yet still slow.
Apple Pay blows cards away. And the checker had heard about using a phone and hadn't seen one yet. He was really impressed with using the Watch, as was the guy in line behind me. I can literally leave my wallet home, go for a walk, stop at Safeway for a sandwich or breakfast burrito and a drink, and walk off the calories while closing Rings. Yes!